Small hospitals are changing their Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software and patient accounting systems faster compared to larger hospitals. Health IT vendors are struggling to offer training and resources to meet the requirements of small hospitals according to the KLAS report.

New Small-Hospital Patient Accounting report by KLAS

To help small healthcare organizations and hospitals make informed decisions about their EHR systems, KLAS researchers have interviewed small hospitals (250 beds or less).  Researchers have tried to gain insight into their customer experiences, finding differences from similar reports in recent years.

The Small-Hospital Patient Accounting report of 2023 revealed that small healthcare organizations are changing their EHRs and patient accounting systems at a faster rate.

Small hospitals are struggling with effective and smooth EMR software implementation because of a lack of training tools available and support to make the implementation process seamless. Without proper EMR system training staff members won’t know how to harness the software’s full capability.

Small hospitals vendor selection

The following software vendors are being selected by small healthcare organizations to streamline workflows and improve productivity levels:

  • Oracle Health Cerner
  • MEDITECH EMR Software
  • Epic Systems
  • athenahealth EHR Software
  • CPSI
  • MEDHOST

Key findings from the report

KLAS researchers examined the user experience based on the following criteria, relationship, product, culture, operation, and value.

  • Relationship: EMR software vendor MEDITECH outshined at creating strong and reliable relationships with small hospitals.
  • Product: Epic software offers a high-quality product with the right features. Oracle Health Cerner and CPSI customers are dissatisfied with the product functionalities.
  • Culture: Oracle Health Cerner, CPSI, and MEDHOST don’t deliver on expectations.
  • Operations: All electronic health records vendors struggle to offer the training that is necessary to meet small hospitals’ needs.
  • Value – MEDITECH excels in driving tangible outcomes. Cerner customers have reported low value because of missing features and the price point.

Final takeaway

Health IT vendors should work hard toward better understanding the EHR software functions that are relevant to small healthcare organizations. Small organizations have unique needs and require different tools to excel in the healthcare landscape.

Proper resources and training options should be provided by EMR vendors to small hospitals to ensure that the new software is adopted and used efficiently. The smooth implementation can have long-term benefits for practices in the form of optimized workflows and an improved user experience.